New to the internet?

If you’re new to the internet, or already use it but would like to take advantage of the huge variety of things it can do to make life easier, we’d like to help.

At Get Safe Online we’re true fans of the internet, but also aware of the type of problems people face from people like fraudsters and abusers. After all, that’s our job. On this website, you’ll find a wealth of information for everyone, on how to protect yourself, your family, your bank account and your online devices.

For starters, however, please take a few minutes to read these back-to-basics tips that can help you to stay safe. It isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s a great place to start.

- Choose, use and protect your passwords carefully, and use a different one for every online account in case one or more get hacked.

- Ensure you always have internet security software loaded on computers and a similar app on your mobile devices, and that this is kept updated and switched on. Remember that smartphones and tablets can get compromised as much as computers.

- You mustn’t assume that Wi-Fi hotspots in places like cafes, bars and hotel rooms are secure, so never use them when you’re doing anything confidential online. Instead, use 3G or 4G or if it’s for work, a VPN (virtual private network).